I wanted to thank you for introducing me to this concept; I have always known I have a particular bias (as we all do), but never realized that it extends further than my thoughts, beliefs, and actions of which I am aware.

I do teach my kids about the different holidays during December, actually all year round and I feel that it is very important that they understand and respect different holidays and religions. The funny thing is that I have a problem with saying “Merry Christmas”. I feel “Happy Holidays” is more appropriate; however in the U.S. it is such an issue that I just say back whatever they say first, unless it is really bad. I can’t stand the lights, the trees, all the people, the songs, oh my goodness the songs! Every year we end up staying home more and more and just making our own family solitude. I do appreciate your perspective and of others it makes me think.

Every year I find myself obsessing about this holiday and finding more and more information to fill my mind. It drives me crazy that throughout Christian history they have stolen other religious celebrations, taken their rituals or traditions meshed them with Christianized things and claim they had it first. Although, I think I am getting to the point where I can let it go but as long as I am going to church I don’t know if I can. I get so angry during this time; I have to keep my mouth shut a lot and try not to be sarcastic when people are saying “Jesus is the reason”. Um…really? Sorry, I do try to stay positive because I can celebrate the joy with my family and seeing my kids have fun. That is what I am trying to keep my focus on and that most people do mean well.

What about people from Suriname or the Antilles who get “Zwarte Piet” called out to them as a way of insulting them? Did you know that they existed? Because they do, and would knowing that cause you think twice?

What about yearly play about the Zwarte Piets who are in schools, does that sound kosher to you? Would you like to be associated with unintelligent dim beings, only fit to be subservient to another?

Forgive my bluntness but most of your comments above are irrelevant to the Zwarte Piet discussion- nobody was arguing about introducing sameness, or applauding female genital mutilation. I’m interested in hearing why you’re so sure that people shouldn’t be offended about the plot of that play or about racist stereotypes.
If you answered my questions in this reply, I could begin to understand why you think Zwarte Piet is ok.

I definitely understand your horror in that moment, given your point of view on the tradition. It’s like when a child says, “Look at that really fat person, mommy.” (I know racism is worse than that.) But from my viewpoint, your daughter’s comment is more like looking at an old, bearded man on the bus and saying, “Look, it’s Sinterklaas!” An attempt to relate something unusual to a previous category of unusual it seems to match.

Skin color is a difference, and it’s natural for little children to pick up on it and point it out (just like pointing out really fat people, or someone in a wheelchair). When little kids say these things, it usually doesn’t carry a negative judgement, just an “oh, that’s different” or an “oh, that reminds me of “. Of course, the situation is completely different if the child says (and usually they’re older by then), “Hey, look at the DISGUSTING fat guy” or “Hey, look at the RETARD in the wheelchair”. But that wasn’t what your daughter was doing (I assume).

We do have differences. If we see a person wearing a yarmulke and my children say, “Oh, that’s a Jewish person,” there is no racism and certainly no anti-Semitism there. Just recognition of a Jewish custom. If people hear my accent and say, “Oh, you must be American,” there’s no -ism there. Well, of course, there might be, depending on the person who’s doing the talking. But it isn’t inherent in the comment itself.

I would like to see a lot more tolerance in societies. Of course there’s always a line somewhere; what’s tolerance, and what’s allowing atrocities to occur? (I’m thinking of female genital mutilation here, which some immigrants to NL still practice; clearly an atrocity, but if we ban it we’re “intolerant”.) I think it’s pretty clear, though, that wearing clothing of whatever kind and building places of worship are not damaging to one’s fellow man, and in my book, as long as it is not harmful to others, people should be allowed to do whatever calls to them. This trend toward “not offending” (bus drivers: no Muslim headwear! No Christian jewelry! Nothing that could possibly offend some bus rider somewhere!) is, in my opinion, a step in the wrong direction, away from diversity and toward enforced sameness. And the innate, primal fear so many people seem to have of those who think and act differently needs to leave the gene pool as soon as possible .

Well, I think I’m wandering around with my attempts to explain this…I hope it makes some sense.

I wonder to what extent racist caricatures of Jewish people seeped into the consciousness of people, allowing Jewish people to be demonised before the Shoah. I once read an article about how genocides begin. The prfessor of Genocide studies wrote that it could happen in any country. He said that gnocides begin by a group being demonised. At this moment I see that happening with Muslims.
There’s a (joke of a ) political party in the Netherlands called the PVV. They are anti- Islam. The sad thing is that according to polls they could get as much as 30 percent of the vote. They even proposed a tax on Muslim women who wore a head-covering. Can you imagine Rachel, if people wanted to impose a tax on Jewish men who wore a yarmulke or Jewish women with a snood etc? The whole concept seems ludicrous. Too ludicrous to ever really happen… but then again, the Swiss recently banned the building of minarets????

Misfit, it’s a crying shame that people like that your teacher gave such a poor example of how to learn.
It was foolish of her to just dismiss out of hand, what somebody tells you, without evidence. It was good that you spoke up. It’s the first time that I’ve seen the official Arabic name of Eid al-Fitr. Here it’s referred to in Dutch as the sugar feast.

Saja, it’s nice to know that despite our differences in opinion we both want a better world.

I’m amazed by what you say about a group of Christians wanting the Jews and Muslims to contribute to a Christian symbol of peace. When will people get it through their heads that Christmas is NOT a universal holiday, and that Christian symbols are NOT universal symbols? Christian culture is just one of many cultures, all equally deserving of respect.

We’ve got a long way to go, and I’m getting tired.

That’s a cheap shot because, as you know, I have not said that all references to black people are references to slavery. I have given my reasons. Sinter Klaas was originally alone, then helped by a solitary white boy, then helped by chained slaves. The slaves are still dressed in 17th century clothing that stems from the time of the European and American slave trade.

Every year children in the Netherlands see a play held at their schools with the following plot of the story: Sinter Klaas wants that all children receive presents. The physically acrobatic child-like Petes are responsible for delivering the presents, but due to their stupidity they nearly mess the whole delivery up jeopardising that children get their presents. But the wise white Sinter Klaas steps in and saves the day, with his powers of delegation.
I was horrified that my 3 year old made an association between an African man and Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). It’s the equivalent of associating all white people with the main characters in Dumb and Dumber. That’s the power of that sort of imagery marketed to children.

Rachel, there is a community association in my city, and this year they asked my Rabbi if she (on behalif of the Jewish community) would decorate a ball to put in a large Christmas tree that would be placed at the centre of the neighbourhood. The tree would be symbolic of peace in diversity. She declined and so did the Muslims. Later the community association printed a newsletter reproaching the actions of the Jewish and Muslim representatives. They just don’t understand that non-Christian people don’t do Christmas. The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christianity but must they use a Christian symbol to represent peace? It’s like asking a vegetarian to eat meat for charity but if they refuse accusing them of indifference. Respect is a two-way thing. Luckily the local Christian parish priest joined forces with the Rabbi and they wrote a joint letter to explain why the symbol of a Christmas ball was entirely inappropriate.
Before you wrote about your irritation at the phrase “Happy Holidays”, I hadn’t thought of it before as a great lie. But it is. It is indeed just a politically correct way of saying “Merry Christmas.” But you saw that Happy holidays was the invisible clothing that the Chritmas-Emperor wore….